Getting Cannot Start Microsoft Outlook Error? – Fix the Issue Manually

Cannot Start Microsoft Outlook: Top 5 Resolutions to Fix the Error

Fixing the error i.e. “Cannot start Microsoft Outlook” is one of the biggest issues in front of various organizations. Inevitably, this is one of the biggest challenges, however; there are various methods to resolve this problem. If you are still struggling to find a proper solution for the same, then you have landed on the right page. Here, in the upcoming part of the blog, we are going to discuss some manual workarounds in order to resolve, “Outlook cannot be started” error code. Let us begin with the different error messages users may encounter according to the Outlook version.

MS Outlook 2003: “Cannot start Microsoft Outlook. Unable to open the Outlook window, Invalid XML, the view cannot be loaded.”

MS Outlook 2007: “Cannot open your default e-mail folders. The information store could not be opened.”

MS Outlook 2010: “Outlook has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.”

Microsoft Outlook Cannot be Started: Causes and Symptoms

There are various factors, which are responsible for this error message in Outlook. The biggest one is a damaged or corrupted Navigation Pane settings. If your file size is 0 KB, then it means that the file is corrupted. The accurate reason of this is hard to demystify, but MS Outlook all available versions from 2003 to 2016 may get affected with this issue. Apart from this, this error may occur when users run the Outlook in compatibility mode or use a profile generated in older Outlook edition, or PST or OST is corrupted or damaged, etc.

Now, if we talk about the symptom, then this appearance of the error code “Cannot start MS Outlook” is the biggest indication of this. If you are thinking that can we resolve it manually, then the answer is Yes. There are numerous manual strategies, which you can opt for, in order to rectify this problem.

Cannot Start Microsoft Outlook – Manual Solutions to Troubleshoot

From the above section, it becomes very clear that what are causes that result in this Outlook issue. Now, these are some resolution to fix this problem as mentioned:

1. Start Microsoft Outlook in safe mode & disable add-ins.
2. Create an Outlook profile & import the data from old PST.
3. Recover the file of Navigation Pane configuration.
4. Repair the MS Outlook PST via Inbox Repair Tool.
5. Switch off the Compatibility Mode.
6. Rectify Outlook hanging on the loading profile.

Solution 1: Disable Add-ins

Before disabling the add-ins, it is required to open Outlook in Safe Mode. To do this, follow the steps:
• Open Run Window (Windows key+R) and type: outlook.exe /safe
Now, when it gets opened in safe mode, disable add-ins using the steps given below:

1. Open MS Outlook >> Choose File tab >> Select Options >> Click on Add-Ins.
2. Now, choose Com Add-ins >> Enter on Go.
3. Unmark all the Add-ins >> OK.
4. Now, restart Outlook.

Solution 2: Create a New Profile in Outlook

Follow the steps for creating a new Microsoft Outlook profile:

• Go to Control Panel >> Mail >> Data Files >> Add…
• Now, set the created profile as your default profile. On, Account Setting >> Data Files tab, choose the recently created profile and hit the Set as Default button.
• After this, try to access Outlook and in case, it starts without any difficulty, then copy the entire data from your old Outlook profile. In order to migrate your data, follow these steps:
  1. First, go to File >> Open >> Import.
  2. Now, choose Import from another program of the file, then click Next.
  3. Select the Outlook Data File and hit the Next button.
  4. Then, click on Browse and choose the old PST.
  5. Finally, click on Next, which is followed by a click on Finish.

This is one of the best ways to resolve the issue when you are getting an error “Cannot Start Microsoft Outlook”. This method to create a new Outlook profile resolves several Outlook issues faced by a user.

Solution 3: Recover Navigation Pane Configuration File

If you are using Vista, Windows 7/8, you need to click on Start.

On Windows XP, hit the Start >> Run.
• After this, type in this command as mentioned:
outlook.exe /resetnavpane
• Now, press Enter/ click on file to reset Navigation Pane Settings & open Outlook after this.
• In case, you would like to work with Run on Windows 7/ Windows 8, then follow these steps:

1. On Start menu, hit on All Programs >> Accessories >> Run.
2. Now, type in the command outlook.exe /resetnavpane and click OK.

Solution 4: Repair MS Outlook Files via Inbox Repair Tool

Follow the steps to repair Outlook data files:

1. First, open Windows Explorer and then go to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\{Office version}.
2. In case, you have 64-bit Windows OS with the 32-bit Office installed, then navigate to C:\Program Files x86\Microsoft Office\{Office version}
3. After this, search Scanpst.exe and double-click on it. You can even, click on Start and type scanpst.exe in Search box.
4. Now, click on Browse to choose the default Outlook.pst file. You will get the outlook.pst in the hidden folder in these below-mentioned locations:
   • On Windows Vista, 7, and 8- C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook
   • On Windows XP- C:\ Documents and Settings\user\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

Solution 5: Turn off Compatibility Mode in MS Outlook

Go through the following steps to turn off the mode:

1. First, click on Start and type outlook.exe.
2. Now, right-click on the Outlook.exe and hit the Properties.
3. Once you have done this, go to Compatibility tab and clear “Run this program in compatibility mode for“, this check box.
4. Now, hit the OK button and begin Outlook.

Sum It Up

After considering the importance of Outlook, we have learned to fix a very common issue in this i.e. Cannot Start Microsoft Outlook. From the above blog, it becomes very clear that there are multiple ways to do resolve this error message. It is recommended to go for a method, according to the reason behind this issue.